Rams undecided if Donald will play vs. Giants

He’s still “working himself into football shape,” per Rapoport and Adam Schefter. We think the Rams D/ST will manage with merely Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie as major additions heading into Week 1’s showdown with the 49ers in Australia.

Garrett, 30, has been sidelined by swelling in his knee since late July. His return to practice puts him on track to play in Week 1 against the 49ers on Thursday. Donald’s status is tougher to decipher. The fact that he is practicing is a great sign, but the Rams could still slow-play his return to action. Rams coach Sean McVay said he will provide an update on their Week 1 statuses on Tuesday. Stay tuned.

Regarding recently unretired DT Aaron Donald’s potential participation, McVay said that “if he feels good enough to go, great. If not, I’ve got a lot of confidence in the other guys.” The Rams have a two-game roster exemption for Donald, so they can take their time with him if they would like to. Regardless, the fact that he is traveling with the team suggests he has a real chance to play next week.

The exemption timeline is a little strange. Per Pelissero, it expires on September 11th, one day after the Rams’ Week 1 game against the 49ers. Regardless, it helps the team save roster space since Donald was officially reinstated to the active roster today.

The incentive-heavy deal is worth a maximum of $30 million for the longtime defensive stalwart, who comes out of a two-year retirement to chase another ring with the Rams. Donald worked out at the team facility multiple times throughout the offseason, making the signing less shocking than it otherwise would have been had there been no ties between the two sides earlier this summer. The Rams now carry one of the top defenses in the league after the acquisitions of Myles Garrett, Jaylen Watson, and Trent McDuffie this offseason, in addition to coming off a season in which they led the league in scoring at 30 points per game. The betting favorites to win the Super Bowl in February gain another weapon.

The Rams have now hosted Donald for two workouts in recent weeks. McVay believes there will be more. Donald is reportedly “feeling good” right now, but there doesn’t seem to be a lean one way or the other. With the regular season opener fast approaching, one assumes a decision will come in the next two or so weeks.

Last week, Florio reported that Donald had hoped to make a decision early this week. The 35-year-old retired Ram has apparently kicked the can and now hopes to make a call at the end of the week. If it drags on longer than that, the Rams might not take issue with it. Simply getting Donald back in the building, even in a rotational capacity, is the ultimate goal.

With un-retirement rumors swirling for months, Donald officially worked out for the team earlier this week. "(Donald is) feeling good, but we’re not to where we are able to say whether or not he is or isn’t ready to do it,” McVay said Thursday. “But he’s doing great and he looked outstanding (in Tuesday’s workout), as I think all of us would expect.” At this point, we wouldn’t be surprised if the sides simply had a wink-nod agreement to wait to formalize any return until training camp is over. Training camp is the bane of many veteran players’ existence, and the Rams would undoubtedly trust Donald to suit up and be effective without going through the August rigamarole. Of course, it’s also possible a 35-year-old who has spent two years away from the game ultimately decides he’s better off not getting back in the saddle. Stay tuned.

For reference, the Rams’ defense averaged 66.9 plays per game last year, so this is a significant snap share estimation. Florio opened the segment by saying, “we could have an announcement within the next few days” about Donald’s potential return. Rams coach Sean McVay joked earlier today that Donald’s recent workout at the team facility was “the best tryout that the Rams have ever seen.” Nothing is guaranteed, but Donald is seemingly headed toward a return.

This comes from the league’s official transaction wire, unlike Donald’s previous visit with the Rams. According to PFT, he worked out in a helmet to see how he felt. The visit wasn’t meant for the Rams to evaluate Donald. We’re going to assume Donald has stayed roughly in football shape if he’s considering a return to LA. While it’s not a done deal just yet, all signs point to him playing with the Rams this year.